Tŵt’s going mobile!

We love the community we’re building here on Tŵt. It’s a warm, friendly space on the Social Web. But we also know that for many of you, social happens on your phone.

Connecting to Tŵt on your phone has always been a bit of a bother, especially when it comes to plugging in our domain instead of the default or suggested services. These apps work great, but they aren’t built for the average everyday person. They’re all a bit techy, and they don’t reflect our community the way we want to be presented. So, we’re building our own app.

Introducing the Tŵt App

We’re thrilled to announce that we’re developing an official Tŵt mobile app. We’re proud to be partnered with the amazing folks at the Newsmast Foundation, who are leading the development. Together, we’re building a simple, joyful experience designed specifically for our community.

Take a look at this 60-second preview of the test version to see it in action:

Why a Custom App?

It comes down to this: we believe every community should have its own space that reflects its people and its values.

One of the biggest blocks to getting on Tŵt is finding an app and then switching the domain name, choosing a server. This is an unnecessary technical exam before you’ve even stepped through the door. We’re removing that friction. When you open the Tŵt app, you’re already home. There’s no confusing setup – just you and your community.

We envision a future where many other communities have their own branded, custom apps just like this one, apps that tie directly to their server and remove the hurdles that keep people apart.

Curated for You

Because this app is just for us, we’ve been able to curate it to highlight the very best of Wales and the world. Through our custom feeds and “starter packs,” you’ll instantly connect with:

• Trusted Media: Updates from verified Social Web publishers including Nation.Cymru, Golwg, Swansea Bay News, Bylines Cymru, and Wrexham.com.
• Local Life: Weather forecasts, sports results, and the latest in Welsh music, arts, and culture.
• Joyful Accounts: A hand-picked selection of voices from Wales and around the world that make your feed a lovelier place to be.

A Calmer Way to Connect

To make Tŵt a genuinely cosy digital space, we’ve taken some strong opinions on design. We’ve removed or altered some features that we think make the Social Web a bit more people-friendly:

• Search is Just Search: We’ve removed trending content from the search screen. When you want to find something, you search for it, without us bugging you with unrelated content.
• A Tidy Home Feed: We’ve moved direct mentions into their own “Conversations” tab. Your Home feed stays as a calm space for reading posts from people you follow, with no more heart-stopping “OMG did I post that publicly” moments.
• Three Degrees of Connection: The Home tab has just three items: My Feed, Tŵt, and Explore. My Feed is only what you follow. Tŵt is the local feed, and we’ve included replies from community members so you can keep an eye on the conversations. Explore is your lists, your hashtags, and our curated suggestions.

We’ve made a bunch of other changes too, all in the name of making the experience faster, joyful, less techy, and more fun!

What’s Next?

We’re putting the finishing touches on the build right now. We’ll be pushing the app to beta for our existing community very soon, so keep an eye out for an announcement on how to join the testing group.

If all goes well, we plan on launching on St. David’s Day, with a launch party in Cardiff the day before, and you’re all invited! Stay tuned for details.

It’s simple, it’s joyful, and it’s almost ready. We’ll see you in the beta very soon.